The Penn State hockey team (11-2-3) is off to the best start since joining Division I play in 2012. The USCHO.com poll that came out on December 7 had the team ranked No.16, the highest it has been ranked in program history. As of Sunday the team is No.9 in the PairWise rankings, another record for the squad.
The PairWise ranking is a system that is meant to emulate the process used by the NCAA Selection Committee at the conclusion of the season. Once the six automatic bids are awarded to each conference champion, the committee fills out the remaining spots with the highest rated at-large teams to form the sixteen team tournament.